A Blake senior recently learned she's in a class by herself.

Deepa Chari, a Plymouth resident, is Minnesota's sole female recipient of this year's Siemens Award for Advanced Placement.

The Siemens Award is given annually to one male and one female from each state with the most scores of "5" on eight AP math and science exams. Deepa scored a "5" - the best possible score - on the statistics, calculus, chemistry and physics exams.

Students don't apply for the award, so Deepa was surprised to hear the news.

"I was talking on the phone to my friend and I said something like, 'I received this award, but it must be a mistake because this thing is only given to one girl in the state,'" she said.

She originally got the news by phone, but said she knew the award was legitimate after receiving a congratulatory letter in the mail. She will receive a $2,000 college scholarship.

Deepa began taking a lot of science classes in her sophomore year, she said, after seeing her sister take an interest in the subject.

"I really got something out of it, because the science department at my school is very rigorous and does a really superb job," she said. "A substantial part of my interest in science is due to the influence of great science teachers I've had."

She enjoys how methodical science is - physics, especially, because it uses math to help you understand the way things are in life. She said connections to real life are the "eureka" moments in high school science.

She's not sure what career she'll go into, but said she could see herself in academia. She likes approaching a subject from all angles when teaching it to someone, she said.

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